Crossing the border with Blue Jays beat reporter Jordan Bastian.

One Frank in, another Frank out

When Frank Thomas signed with Toronto, it became just a matter of time before Frank Catalanotto signed elsewhere. There was little to no chance that the Jays would’ve put him back into a left-field platoon with Reed Johnson after Johnson’s career year in ’06 and, obviously, there wouldn’t be many at-bats for "Cat" as the DH with Thomas around.

So there you have it: Catalanotto signs with the Rangers. From a personal standpoint, I’m sorry to see Frank leave Toronto. He is a genuinely nice guy and he’ll be missed in the clubhouse by his former teammates and by us reporters. We could always count on a quote from Cat or just a good conversation. Needed to know more about an opposing pitcher? Catalanotto was a great source.

I’m sorry to see him go, but Texas we’ll be a good spot for him. If Gary Matthews Jr. doesn’t re-sign with the Rangers, Catalanotto could get some at-bats as Texas’ leadoff hitter and he should get plenty of action in the outfield — more so than he might’ve with the Jays.

Now, it’ll be interesting to see who becomes Toronto’s fourth outfielder. That could be Adam Lind, who would provide a much-needed left-handed bat off the bench, but he may begin this season at Triple-A. Lind is definitely a part of the future for Toronto, but it’d be a waste to have him riding the pine at the Rogers Centre when he could continue his development with regular playing time with Syracuse. We’ll see what happens.

If Cubs get Lugo, would see JP trying to get Izterius from Cubs for **** via trade? His defense is stellar and he’s only about $3 million with one year left. Wouldn’t mind a short-term SS in case Adams reemerges and so Hill can stay at 2B.

Here is my spin. The Jays did what they had to do by keeping the catcher that feels like he has something to prove, plus the pitchers are used to him. The Jays also added a big bat and filled out their starting roster. Now they need to do one more thing that I asked…sign or at least compete for Zito. The Jays gave Burnette $10 million per year; offer Zito $12. If key players did not get hurt last year, the Jays would have been in the thick rather then just competing. Get Zito and the Toronto Bluejays will become front runners in the east. No line-up can compare whether it be offense or pitching. The money is there. Don’t worry about short stop. Get that pitcher.

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